Impotence in men results from a variety, and at times a mixture, of physiological and psychological conditions with a common feature being inability to maintain erection of the penis for a sufficient length of time to complete sexual intercourse. Normally, sexual arousal in healthy males results in the retention of blood in venous sinuses which extend along the length of the sides of the penis (corpus cavernosa, FIG. 1), which causes the penis to become stiff and erect. Numerous non-surgical devices and techniques have been proposed to manage this problem.
Some men with impotence are able to achieve an erection, but are unable to maintain it. In others, it is necessary to draw blood into the penis with an apparatus producing vacuum suction (described by: Witherington, R., J. Urol., 141:320, 1989), but in either case, the use of a constrictive device is needed to keep the venous sinuses filled.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,581,114, 2,818,855, 3,511,230, 3,612,047, 3,636,948, 3,759,253, 3,794,020, and 4,203,432 are examples of these constrictive devices. All of these are designed to put pressure on the penis in various ways in order to retard the flow of blood from the venous sinuses, and all but three of these inventions encircle the penis, which presents special problems. One of the most commonly used encircling devices is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,253, and it is effective in maintaining an erection. However, it requires a lubricant in order to put it on. Also, once this device is in place on an erect penis, it is neither easy to remove, replace, or reposition, because of the looseness of the skin of the shaft of the penis.
There is a distinct advantage in using a device which does not completely encircle the penis. The three cited patents which are not encircling, also have disadvantages. U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,020 is difficult to manufacture, as the mechanism for producing pressure is a ratchet. Also, it is designed to put pressure on the dorsal veins FIG. 1), whereas, lateral pressure at the base of the penis is the more desired action. U.S. Pat. No. 3,511,230 presents difficulty for the user, since it requires considerable education and aptitude to operate successfully, because the method of producing pressure is by the action of the user's legs. U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,046 is, also, of complex construction, being made of an inner core of rigid material with an outer coating of spongy material. Like the invention about to be described, it consists of two legs, hinged at one end and open at the opposite end, but unlike my invention, it is used with the open end extending above the penis, with an elastic band attached to one leg at the open end. When used, the elastic band is looped around the two legs, in order to put pressure on the sides of the penis.